About

Vision: Global Korean –
From a national language
to a world language

Mission Statement

K-Language Map is the first platform to compare the diverse forms of Korean—including North and South Korean varieties—and to present them in English.

It enables both Koreans and non-Koreans to explore, learn, and connect through the living and evolving language of Korea.

The K-Language Map project explores the diversity and evolution of the Korean language in a global context. Korean is no longer spoken only by Koreans; it is becoming a shared language of the world, shaped by K-pop, K-drama, and international communities.

We begin by comparing North and South Korean varieties. Though they share the same linguistic roots, more than seven decades of division have led to significant differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and usage. For many North Korean defectors, adapting to South Korean language is one of the biggest challenges. Modern South Korean includes countless abbreviations, loanwords, and English-influenced expressions, which can be difficult for newcomers to understand.

Recognizing and understanding these differences is essential to capturing the full picture of Global Korean.

Korean alphabet art

A Note on Convention

The North Korean language has had significantly less contact with other languages than South Korean, which has allowed it to remain comparatively intact and conservative.

Nevertheless, our representative interview data reveal a notable degree of internal variation. This variation arises from the fact that language reflects individual life trajectories: each speaker's social, geographical, and political experiences shape their linguistic practices, making broad generalisations inherently difficult.

In this project, we have sought to present representative patterns based on our interview and usage data, while acknowledging that variation is both inevitable and context-dependent.

In general, distinct differences are observable between Pyongyang and other regions.